Sabah activist disputes Bung's take on Sabah's development history
Published on: Saturday, May 24, 2025
Published on: Sat, May 24, 2025
By: Sean Augustin, FMT Text Size: PETALING JAYA: Sabah activist Johan Ariffin Samad has dismissed claims that the state saw minimal development under local parties, calling such views unfair and misleading. He highlighted former chief minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh's legacy, including industrial and agricultural advances like the still-operating Desa Dairy Farm in Kundasang. Harris, who led Sabah under local party Berjaya from 1976 to 1985, is still remembered as a key figure in Sabah's economic development. Johan was responding to Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, who blamed political instability under local parties (1963–1994) for underdevelopment. Bung claimed 'real change' only began in 1994 when Barisan Nasional (BN) took over. Johan said Umno failed to lift Sabah out of poverty, focusing development on urban areas like Kota Kinabalu while neglecting rural infrastructure. He also criticized Umno for not resolving the undocumented migrant issue despite the RCI on 'Project IC' and for weakening state leadership through the chief minister rotation system.
Advertisement 'Bung is the biggest hypocrite for blaming local parties and crediting Umno for development,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
2 hours ago
- Daily Express
Trump warns Musk against supporting Democrats
Published on: Sunday, June 08, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jun 08, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: Trump (right) and Musk at the Oval Office. - Filepic by Reuters WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump warned tech billionaire Elon Musk of "very serious consequences" if he were to support Democrats in the future following their public falling-out, German news agency (dpa) reported. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," Trump told NBC News in a phone interview set to air on Sunday. Advertisement However Trump declined to share what those consequences might be should Musk support Democratic candidates to harm Republicans who voted for the president's tax and budget bill. The budget bill this week triggered the public dispute between Musk, the world's richest man, and Trump, the world's most powerful one. Musk is demanding far greater spending cuts and called the bill "a disgusting abomination". Trump refers to it as the "big beautiful bill". Since Thursday, Musk and Trump have been engaged in an open mudslinging match after months of unusually close cooperation. Trump does not want to reconcile with Musk. Advertisement In the NBC interview, Trump was asked whether he believed his relationship with Musk, who owns the social media platform X, the electric car company Tesla, and the space voyage firm SpaceX, was over. "I would assume so, yeah," Trump said. He also reiterated that he was not interested in reconciling with Musk, saying he was too busy with other matters. "I have no intention of speaking to him." On Thursday, the brewing feud between the two powerful men exploded with Trump calling Musk "crazy" and Musk claiming that if it weren't for him, Trump would have lost the presidential election last year. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
2 hours ago
- Daily Express
Nearly RM800m allocated for water supply projects to address monsoon impact
Published on: Sunday, June 08, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jun 08, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: For illustrative purposes only. KUCHING: The Federal Government has allocated RM796.4 million in loans to state governments this year to finance various water supply projects. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the projects are among the government's initiatives to mitigate the impact of the Southwest Monsoon, which is expected to bring dry weather and potential drought. Advertisement Fadillah, who is also the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said as of May this year, 28 projects under this initiative are currently underway. Of the total, 12 are in Sabah, two in Kedah and Perlis, one in Kelantan, three in Pahang and Terengganu and five in Sarawak. 'These projects are at various stages of completion. Some are under implementation and seven are expected to be completed this year,' he told reporters after attending the Aidiladha qurban (sacrificial ritual) programme at Kampung Tupong Jaya, here today. At the same time, Fadillah said his ministry is now focusing on resolving the issue of non-revenue water (NRW). Advertisement He said NRW is caused by various factors, including system inefficiencies, pipe leakages and water theft. 'When pipe connections are poorly installed, leakages happen. There are also old pipes that have started leaking. Overall, we estimate that the country loses 40 per cent of its treated water. This incurs high costs. 'Therefore, our current priority is to identify methods to reassess the piping systems and replace damaged pipes,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Ukraine drones attack on Moscow forces airport closure, Russia says
UKRAINIAN drone attack targeting Moscow forced the closure of two of the key airports serving the capital, Russian authorities said early on Sunday. Russia air defence units destroyed nine Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow by 0400 GMT, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app. Emergency services were dispatched to the sites where drone debris fell in the overnight attack, Sobyanin said. He did not report any immediate damage. A Ukrainian drone attack also sparked a short-lived fire at the Azot chemical plant in the Tula region, injuring two people, and seven drones were destroyed over the Kaluga region, regional governors said. Both regions border the Moscow region to the south of the capital. Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said on Telegram that to ensure air safety it was halting flights at the Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports. Russia and Ukraine have increased their attacks in recent weeks while also returning to peace talks for the first time since the early days of the war that Russia launched against Ukraine in February 2022.
